Abrasive flap wheels are used to provide a resilient, but positive, abrading action on a workpiece. Abrasive flap wheels are formed from a plurality of abrasive flaps each including a backing member and abrasive particles adhered to the backing member. The flaps are generally disposed in an annular array to form a wheel which is supported by a rotary member such as a hub of generally cylindrical form. The wheel is rotated to obtain a rotation of the flaps against a work piece. As the individual flaps impinge on the workpiece an abrading action is provided on the workpiece.
Conventional abrasive flap wheels can suffer from one or more of certain significant disadvantages, including uneven flap wear, excessive flap wear, thermal degradation, limited life span, limited material removal rate, and unacceptable surface finish.
Various approaches have been attempted to solve these problems but all suffer from certain drawbacks. Therefore, there continues to be a demand for improved abrasive flap wheels.
The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identical items.